TDF Stage 15 - Monday, July 19 2010, Pamiers - Bagnères-de-Luchon, 187 km

[Dedelou]

From what I saw today Andy has a very good chance to put serious time between himself and Contador on Tourmalet. I think Contador fears the same thing and that is why he attacked when he saw that Andy had a mechanical. If he had more confidence in his form vs. Andy's he would have waited.

yeah.. I think he should have got off the bike , and help andy put back his chain. we do that all the time on the saturday rides and we even give the menchov and sanchez type a chance to make up what they lost in the cobbles.. we are like that.. but no contract this year.

 

[Mellow Velo]

Exactly. This was a race situation, just like Stage 3, were folks react and everything that follows is part of the story of that stage.
All I saw was AC blow by Andy. It was only after Andy got off his bike that it was clear.
And here's a good question: Clearly Menchov and Sanchez and the rest of the trailing GC group saw what had happened (since they were behind AC), why didn't any of them stop racing as well?

+1
The voice of reason, as always.
Contador wins the MJ at huge cost to his public image.
Meanwhile, Menchov and Sanchez get a free ride through all the
fallout and move nicely up the GC standings and onto Andy's heels.

 

[lilyprotector]

schleck had said yesterday that today's stage suited him very well, so i had a feeling that he was planning to do something big today. really too bad about the chain and the lack of class by ac.

is the tourmalet better suited to ac or schleck? will be interesting to see what the fire in the belly will do for schleck as a rider. anger certainly took armstrong far.

 

[UpTheRoad]

Did LA tweet on this yet?

Has he finished yet?

 

[Publicus]

schleck had said yesterday that today's stage suited him very well, so i had a feeling that he was planning to do something big today. really too bad about the chain and the lack of class by ac.

is the tourmalet better suited to ac or schleck? will be interesting to see what the fire in the belly will do for schleck as a rider. anger certainly took armstrong far.

Tourmalet is AC's favorite climb in the French Pyrenees.

 

[Biological Entity]

Exactly. This was a race situation, just like Stage 3, were folks react and everything that follows is part of the story of that stage.

But you know that it is not convention to wait in the classic stages. Nobody whined that AC did not wait for Armstrong when he punctured. And AC should have been at the front anyway. That's why the cobbles aren't really suitable for a GT because they are so random.

But there has been a long tradition of waiting on mountain stages if people have a mechanical. If Armstrong had done this in his prime everybody would have rightly criticised him also.

 

[Paco_P]

[

+1
Contador wins the MJ at huge cost to his public image.

In Spain, which is where AC cares about his public image, it is great, because he will soon be a repeat champion, and as a big a jerk as Lance. But he's our jerk.

 

[balkou]

I'm sure Contador learned about Schleck's problem but not immediately as many here like to think. It's confusing on us, it's a bit more for the ds.
And it's ridiculous to say that it is only Contador's mistake and that Sanchez or Menchov just followed. I didn't see that, especially in the descent.
In any case, the half minute deficit that AC had was not an issue for Contador, but the 40'' that, for example, Menchov gained are very important for the Bordeaux TT.

I remember Pantani had the same problem, then he putted back the chain in place, he caught them all and he won.

 

[Anonymous]

Hey, are you suggesting I'm BPC in any way? If so, perhaps a brief glimpse beside my name would show you that I've been posting since the forum started.

If you're not suggesting that then sorry, it was a confusing juxtaposition in your post. But I'm pretty clearly not a '5 identities a day' troll.

As far as being a cry baby, well he didn't quite cry (they were just welling up), so I wouldn't go that far. I guess if I was high in a GC and had that happen, I'd be pretty upset (a la Cadel last year), so I suppose I can have a little empathy for that situation.

No, not you.

 

[hrotha]

+1
The voice of reason, as always.
Contador wins the MJ at huge cost to his public image.
Meanwhile, Menchov and Sanchez get a free ride through all the
fallout and move nicely up the GC standings and onto Andy's heels.

That's because Contador attacked and Samu & Menchov followed him. Contador was the one pacing them for the most part during the climb. Also, as a two-times Tour winner and in absence of the MJ, he was sort of the 'boss' in the group. Whatever he did, it would have more weight than what Menchov & Samu did. Chances are they'd have gone with whatever Contador decided. We'll never know, though.

 

[Dedelou]

Worse yet for Andy is that Samu and Dennis M are now within striking distance of him, for the ITT.
Yesterday's track standing biting him the ass.

I think it will be a fired up Schleck, on the Tourmalet, come Thursday.

I agree. . Sleck was always fighting for second now because of this he is fighting for 3rd or four .. we do have a race at the back of contador this year.

 

[reubenr]

I don't think he knew that Andy had come to a full stop. I think folks need to slow down and remember this was a race. He didn't have the benefit of a pause button, or instant replay or anything like that. He saw Andy slow down. I don't know if he saw him get off his bike. But all of this happened in the course of Andy laying down an attack while AC was at the back, and AC closing down that attack after getting through the pack. Instantaneous decisions were made and we have our result.

I don't see the distinction between this stage and stage 3.

In the end, Mr. Schleck will be angry with himself for making a poor shift change, but the moment was more revealing in retrospect basically for how the media has reacted. Contador was always wearing the "black hat" because of the media's love affair with Armstrong and the dollars he represents, but once Armstrong bit the dust, it was a fairly rapid transition to bestowing the "white hat" on Mr. Schleck. Today, the "shift" was cemented. That's unfortunate, since the Contador/Schleck dual could have been interesting, in and of itself, as road racers, but now we will have to listen to Liggett and Sherwen destroy the heart of the race with their repulsive reporting and proselytizing on behalf of RS and, now, the "injured" Schleck. Do these men have any shame? The only chain drop for which Sherwen ever stopped was his own.

 

[Publicus]

they should have, but when they started attacking it fed the pack mentality. contador was the heavy of the group, most clout, should have told the two to cut it and ride tempo until schleck was back.

Hold on. If the rest of the GC group SAW what happened and then didn't stop, why would the guy who blew by him in an effort to reel him in know exactly what had happened and shut it down? Seems to me if Menchov et al, had shut it down, AC would have realized it was something abnormal and shut it down as well. Instead he has two of the other top contenders racing hard up the mountain and he, wisely, follows.

These were all split second decisions. Expecting that AC or any rider was working with perfect information at all times is unreasonable. Going further and saying that a rider is dishonorable because he raced through an uncertain situation just makes it worse. (Hell, wasn't AC the one who told his guys NOT to race when Andy was off the back on Stage 2 (he wasn't with Spartacus up on the front, so wasn't aware of his attempts to nullify)).

 

[indurain666]

Funny how LA's fanboys now adore French crowds, when these are the same guys that use to spit/boo/insult LA a few years ago. Remember, the French don't like anyone but..Richard Virenque

 

[lostintime]

I wonder how the crowd will treat the MJ tomorrow?

Has the MJ ever been booed on the road?

 

[lilyprotector]

asking again...does anyone remember an mj being booed on podium ever in the tdf? is this a first?

 

[alberto.legstrong]

asking again...does anyone remember an mj being booed on podium ever in the tdf? is this a first?

Ask #21 when he comes in.

 

[indurain666]

I wonder how the crowd will treat the MJ tomorrow?

Has the MJ ever been booed on the road?

How long have you been watching cycling? LA was booed, insulted and spitted from 99-05.

 

[Publicus]

Has anyone asked Schleck how he ended up throwing his chain? Was it a mis-shift?

 

[reubenr]

Hold on. If the rest of the GC group SAW what happened and then didn't stop, why would the guy who blew by him in an effort to reel him in know exactly what had happened and shut it down? Seems to me if Menchov et al, had shut it down, AC would have realized it was something abnormal and shut it down as well. Instead he has two of the other top contenders racing hard up the mountain and he, wisely, follows.

These were all split second decisions. Expecting that AC or any rider was working with perfect information at all times is unreasonable. Going further and saying that a rider is dishonorable because he raced through an uncertain situation just makes it worse. (Hell, wasn't AC the one who told his guys NOT to race when Andy was off the back on Stage 2 (he wasn't with Spartacus up on the front, so wasn't aware of his attempts to nullify)).

The thing here is that Mr. Schleck decided to jump when some how Contador was at the back of the pack, allah Cancellara/Boonen, but probably in his excitement, he exceeded his chain ring relationship. Happens all the time on climbs, and it happened to him. Get over it. Maybe they should put all the unwritten laws in to writing, then we could all have a good laugh.

 

[lilyprotector]

How long have you been watching cycling? LA was booed, insulted and spitted from 99-05.

i watched all those tours. i have NO memory of la ever being booed on the podium with the mj. am i losing my memory or are you only talking about on the road?

 

[lostintime]

How long have you been watching cycling? LA was booed, insulted and spitted from 99-05.

Sorry mate, I was too busy living a life.

 

[Maxiton]

In Spain, which is where AC cares about his public image, it is great, because he will soon be a repeat champion, and as a big a jerk as Lance. But he's our jerk.

+1. LOL.

I wonder how the crowd will treat the MJ tomorrow?

Has the MJ ever been booed on the road?

asking again...does anyone remember an mj being booed on podium ever in the tdf? is this a first?

The Chicken. What was his name? Oh yeah, Michael Rasmussen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JodKBAaZGC0

 

[lilyprotector]

andy tweets!

just posted by andy:



I lost yellow today!**** happens but the race is not over yet!!!I be back!


i picture arnold saying that last line. hope andy will become the terminator.

 

[El Pistolero]

Everybody waited for Schleck on stage 2. On stage 3 most of the peloton was held back because of Fränk Schleck's crash. Then Cancellara turned on his engine with Andy in his wheel and gained back a WHOLE MINUTE. How is that not the same as what just happened now? Andy Schleck is a hypocrite, and I really hope he never wins a single Grand Tour in his career now.

And something similar happened to Contador in the Tour of 2007. No one waited for him as well then... Why should Contador have waited? He shouldn't have, and you guys know it.